24 new coronavirus cases, two deaths in Punjab in last 24 hours

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 9

The last 24 hours have once again proved bad for Punjab with 24 new coronavirus cases reported, taking the tally to 130.

Twenty cases were reported yesterday, which means of the total cases so far, around 35 per cent have surfaced in the last two days in the state.

Besides that one death each was reported from Barnala and Jalandhar districts.

As per the state’s media bulletin, seven cases have been reported from SAS Nagar, six from Mansa, four each from Ludhiana and Jalandhar and one each from Muktsar, Barnala and Sangrur.

The Mansa district from where the first case of COVID-19 reported recently only, today reported six more confirmed cases thereby taking the total count of infected patients to 11 in the district. These all new cases were in contact of the five already tested positive cases in the district. The district police have sealed the residential areas where positive cases were found in the district.

Apart from three fresh cases, one death was reported in Jalandhar district. The bigger worry for the district is at least four of the total five new cases in the past 48 hours are totally unconnected to each other – indicating at community spread in the district. With health authorities confirming there is neither any travel history nor any positive contact of the three new cases as yet – the cases are an indication of community breakout in the city.

The three new patients reported today are a 65-year-old woman, a resident of Bhairon Bazar, a 42-year-old woman resident of Purani Sabzi Mandi and a 53-year-old man from Maqsudan. As the man from Maqsudan was also serving as technician at the Sacred Hospital in Jalandhar, a containment plan has been implemented at the hospital.

Meanwhile, four new cases tested positive in Ludhiana district today. These include son of deceased positive patient, who was the first to die in Ludhiana due to COVID-19. Another 24-year-old male, who was involved in a theft case tested positive. Third positive case is a 15-year-old nephew of the Chowkiman positive patient who took part in the Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Delhi.  

Fourth positive case is from Ramgarh village, Jagraon and is 32-year-old male, who took part in the Tablighi Jamaat gathering at Delhi.

In Sangrur, a 65-year-old resident of Gagadpur village has tested positive. The patient had travelled by air from New Delhi on March 24. Gagadepur resident was asymptomatic, but his report has come positive. He had been under quarantine at his house. Besides that a 52-year-old woman from a village in Barnala district who was admitted at Fortis Hospital, Ludhiana, and later died yesterday was COVID-19 positive. The woman had complained of high grade fever and breathing difficultly for the last 6-7 days and she died yesterday and her sample was sent for testing which came out to be positive.

As per the department, so far samples of 3,192 suspected cases were sent for testing. Of them, 2,777 samples were found negative and reports of 285 were still awaited.